Do you believe in the devil? Justice Scalia does, and suggests 'out-of-touch' media should

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stands at the edge of the stage after a question and answer session delivered as part of a lecture series at Tufts University, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, in Medford, Mass.

Do you believe in the devil? U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia does — and he was offended when a New York magazine interviewer expressed surprise and questioned him about it.

"You’re looking at me as though I’m weird," the justice told Jennifer Senior. "... Are you so out of touch with most of America, most of which believes in the Devil? I mean, Jesus Christ believed in the Devil! It’s in the Gospels! You travel in circles that are so, so removed from mainstream America that you are appalled that anybody would believe in the Devil! Most of mankind has believed in the Devil, for all of history. Many more intelligent people than you or me have believed in the Devil."

But a Barna survey in 2009 found most American Christians do not believe that Satan exists. And LifeWay Research found in 2010 that 4 in 10 millennials believe Satan is just a symbol and not real.

Could this prank in a New York coffee shop offer proof that deep down people sense an evil force? The video reportedly went viral — but most likely not because it confirmed the devil is real.

Scalia says he and every other Catholic believes Satan is real. He cited the Bible and author C.S. Lewis as sources for that belief, but he also noted that the devil is "wilier" and more subtle in his influence today than in the past.

"What he’s doing now is getting people not to believe in him or in God. He’s much more successful that way," Scalia said.

The Huffington Post said Senior should have asked how that belief influences Scalia as a judge.

Christianity Today reported that Scalia once asked a lawyer what he thought of Satan during a hearing before the high court in 2011.

Matt is an enterprise team editor. Before, he wrote about faith how it is lived, how it intersects with society and how current trends affect religious practice. He has worked for more than 12 years as an editor, most more ..